Germany 1.4

• 3 Elements of how political stability was developed in the FRG - Basic Law - Vanishing opposition - 1949 elections
• Describe the basic law in terms of development of political stability (2) - Basic law blended proportional representation with first past the post - 5% rule meant parties needed 5% to be represented in parliament, stopping influence of radical parties - President was now chosen by members of bundestag, the role was now more of ceremonial role, parliament had to approve both president and chancellor to avoid antidemocratic leaders
• Describe the idea of vanishing opposition in terms of development of political stability (2) - Voters attracted to the CDU due to their policy of small steps, no surprises - KPD was abolished, along with the SRP's (new nazis), meaning their was little represented radical opposition
• Describe the 1949 elections in terms of development of political stability (2) - CDU won 31% of the vote, adenauer then struggled to form a government and was only able to after weeks of discussion - CDU won the first election, adenauer became chancellor in august
• What were the reasons for the economic miracle (7!) GIMKEBA - West German advantages - Policies in Bizonia - Role of Erhard and social market economy - Marshal aid - Korean war - Industrial relations - role of government
• Describe west german advantages in terms of reasons for the economic miracle (2) - Germany possessed large quantities of raw materials, and the population had technical skills to exploit these materials, increasing rate of recovery - Arrival of refugees from the east provided regular supply of labour, often cheap and well disciplined
• Describe the all of the policies in Bizonia in terms of reasons for the economic miracle (4) - Currency reform in Bizonia and removal of price controls stimulated free competition between enterprises and ended black market, reduced inflation caused by soviets - Removal of wage and production control - Reduction in marginal tax rates, hence those with higher incomes had more money to spend on goods, stimulated consumerist industries - Contributed to industrial production rising from 51% in June 1958 to 78% in december
• Describe how the removal of wage and production controls was a reason for the economic miracle in terms of policies in bizonia (2) - Allowed workers a role in management and desicion making reuslting in fewer strikes - Co-determination law in 1951 and workers constitution law in 1952, creating a sense of ownership amongst workers
• How did policies in Bizonia not contribute to the economic miracle (2) - There was still a shortage of resources causing a balance of payments deficit, resulting in recession in 1949-50 -Initial steep price rises not matched by wages, hence the poor suffered by these policies
• Describe the role of erhard and social market economy in terms of reasons for the economic miracle (2) - Socila market economy removed state regulations over economy leading to unrestrained capitalism, providing long term stability - Accompanied with the social justice and security system, which meant the state intervened to ensure prosperity for all in the common interest of the individual
• How did the role of erhard and the social market economy not contribute to the economic miracle (2) - Insufficient consumer demand and lack of foreign direct investment meant it was difficult for the economy to sustain growth - Erhard was underpressure to abandon the policy and revert to state control, however demands of korean war alleviated pressure on him to abondon policy
• Describe marshall aid in terms of reasons for the economic miracle - Used to rebuild industry and housing to stimulate the economy, however the policies of erhard and the government were more significant
• How did the marshal aid not contribute to the reasons for the economic miracle (2) - By october 1954 aid only totalled 2 billion USD, making up less than 4% of west german economic income - Actual aid received was only half of what Britian received
• Describe the korean war in terms of reasons for the economic miracle (3) - Increased demand for goods that the ruhr could supply for the korean war - Reduced pressure on erhard to abandon social market economy - West germany able to take advantage of inability of other nations to supply the war materials required, resulting in exports doubling
• Describe industrial relations in terms of reasons for the economic miracle (2) - Growth of economy led to rise in wages - Annual growth averaged 8%, growth in workers wages led to more disposable income for workers, hence living standards rose and consumerist industries stimulated
• Describe the role of government in terms of reasons for the economic miracle (2) - Creation of Bundesbank in 1957 controlling money in circulation including inflation and interest rates - West germany did not have to pay extensive reparations, with government expenditure lower than that of Britians, partially due to not having an army until 1955 when they joined nato
• Describe some effects of the economic miracle (4) - Employment rose by 4.2% by 1955 - Incomes rose by 400% between 1949 and 1963 - Annual growth in FRG GDP was 8% - GNP in the FRG doubled between 1950-55
• What are the two elements of foreign policy in the FRG - Adenauer and the west - Adenauer and the east
• Describe Adenauer and the west in terms of FRG foreign policy (2) - 'Policy of looking to the west' resulted in adenauer joining as many institutions as possible, making germany indespensible to the west - He rejected the East in favour of developing trust with western countries
• Describe the organisations adenauer joined as part of his policy of looking to the west and reintegrating west germany with regards to adenauer and the west foreign policy (4) - Council of europe in 1948 - Ministers meeting to coordinate policy - GATT (1951) - legal agreement promoting international trade (contributed to doubling of exports betwene 1950-1963) - NATO in 1955, allowed FRG to rearm to provide a buffer between West europe and soviets - EEC and Treaty of Rome in 1957, aimed to foster economic integration among member states
• Describe adenauers rejection of the east in order to develop trust with the west with regards to adenauer and the west foreign policy (2) - Signed the Elysee treaty in 1963 leading to reapprochement with france, promising adenauer would not seek reunification with east germany - Contributing to doubling of exports
• Describe adenauer and the east in terms of foreign policy (4) - In 1952 Stalin sent notes to the west suggesting he would give up control of the east in return for a united neutral germany, western allies rejected these notes - Adenauer chose not to respond to the 1953 uprising in the east - Adenauer refused to recognise the GDR as a state, regarding it as 'the zone' - Adenauer travelled to moscow in 1955, where he was able to secure prisoners of war still being held - won adenauer positive public viewership
• Describe adenauers refusal to recognise the GDR as a state in terms of adenauer and the east foreign policy - Hallstein doctrine of 1955 refused to maintain diplomatic relations with any country that recognised the GDR as a state, which wasnt abandoned until 1969
• What were the FRG's problems in 1949 regarding Social stability (3) - Post war poverty needed to be stabilised - Many ex nazis remained in the FRG - A lot of families without fathers, with homes that needed rebuilding
• How did the FRG deal with post war poverty in terms of social stability in the FRG (3) - Economic miracle - helped to create an affluent society in which wages grew by 400% - Improvement in housing, 430,000 new homes built by 1952, 4 million by 1957 - Travel networks expanded, with travel becoming widely available
• Describe how the FRG improved social welfare in terms of social stability in the FRG (2) - Pension scheme set up in the west - Insurance based healthcare system, led to improvements in quality of life, reducing radicalism as an indirect result as people felt problems were being addressed
• What are the three elements of social stability in the FRG (3) - Dealing with post war poverty - Developing social welfare - Managing Germany's nazi past
• How did the FRG manage germanys nazi past with regards to social stability in the FRG (3) - 1951 speech by adenauer stated germany must accept responsibility for the situation - german education system now teahces the nazi regime and its horrors in detail - governments decision was to pay a huge sum to the new state of Israel, to cover the cost of any optional resettlement germany paid £3,450 million to Israel
• How did the FRG fail to manage germanys nazi past with regards to social stability in the FRG - Most nazis were still living their normal lives in their formal job and event the most extreme nazis didnt pay for the injustices towards jews
• What are the elements that make up the decline of adenauer (5) - Declaring intention to run for president in 1959 elections, but withdrawing, made him seem indecisive - Berlin wall - 1961 election - 1962 der spiegal crisis - resurfacing of social tensions
• What caused the berlin wall in terms of the decline of adenauer with regards to the berlin wall (3) - A form of soviet repression to stop migration from the east to the west - 2.6 million by 1961 damaging the economy - Many people in the east became aware of the disparity in standard of living between the east and the west, with the west prospering as a result - GDR introducing collectivisation in 1961, leading to the departure of skilled farmers for the west
• Describe the erection of the berlin wall in terms of the decline of adenauer with regards to the berlin wall (3) - Following Vienna summit the east german government erected barbed wire barriers on august 12th 1961 - within a few days 140km wall begam being erected - Adenauer remained in Bonn and didnt react to the wall, which split up west german families, missing a political opportunity - The mayor of berlin, Willy brandt was seen as a strong for opposing the wall leading to president Kennedy dealing with Brandt instead of adenauer when he visited berlin in 1963
• Describe the 1961 election in terms of the decline of adenauer - CDU lost 50.1% overall majority they gained in 1957, they achieved 45%, still a large majority but suggested start of a gradual decline
• Describe what caused the der speigel crises in 1962 in terms of the decline of adenauer - Der Speigel magazine published article suggesting the FRG wasnt defensively capable, criticising the readiness of the FRG's defensive forces
• Describe the impact of the Der Speigel crisis of 1962 in terms of the decline of adenauer (2) - Government raided the magazine offices to silence it, causing public outcry, adenauer resigned a year later - Minister of defense, Strauss, was supposed to deal with the affair, they did so in a way reminiscent to the nazis, by arresting the editor of the magazine, Adenauer fired strauss to protect his image
• Describe the resurfacing of social tensions in terms of the decline of adenauer (3) - Younger generation began to question the older generation - Adolf Eichmann discovered in Argentina, tried and hanged in 1962 under intense media scrutiny, resurfacing nazi past - Questions about how adenauer dealt with nazi past, with regards to paying off the state of israel as compensation, it didnt seem sufficient
• Describe the causes of the 1953 uprising (3) - A miscommunication between Moscow and east german politburo, with ulbricht summoned to moscow and told to soften economic policies, whereas the east german government announced further productivity targets leaving many feeling exploited - Resentment began building as a reuslt of stalinist economic policies like collectivisation, productivity targets - Border control with the west becoming stricter angering east german citizens
• Describe the 1953 uprising (3) - 16th June 1953 workers on the stalinallee building project went on strik to stop government increasing working hours without increasing pay - Following day thoudands of workers also went on strik demanding to end ulbrichts economic policies - Soviet tanks were rolled out to stop and suppress the uprising
• What was the impact of the 1953 uprising (4) - Demonstrated the soviets willingness to forcefully crush rebellions - Many east german migrants now wanted to escape the regime and emigrate to the west - Policy of increasing working hours without increasing pay was ended and more consumer goods were now being produced to improve standards of living - East german government decided to grow the stasi
• What was the GDR economic policies (5) - Collectivisation - First five year plan - Second five year plan - Seven year plan - New economic system